Rolling mill



Ag. 17, 1937. M. MORGAN ROLL I NG MILL Filed March 16, 1936 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOK ATTORIVEY Aug. 17, 1937. MORGAN 2,090,402

ROLLING MILL Filed March 16, 1956 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR a 4 B Z g Y Patented Aug. 17, 1937 STATE% Morgan Construction Company,

Worcester,

' Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 16, 1936, Serial No. 69,030

/ 9 Claims.

This invention relates to rolling mills, and more particularly to mills of the four-high type having a pair of comparatively small work rolls which are supported against the rolling pressure by 5 means of a pair of comparatively large backing rolls.

In mills of this type, the backing rolls are removed infrequently, whereas the work rolls are changed rather often, they being withdrawn and insertedin an endwise direction. Ordinarily, the work rolls only are driven, the backing rolls being idler rolls which are rotated merely by frictional engagement with the working rolls. It is desirable to maintain the workrolls separated from each other, and each in firm contact with its backing roll even when no stock is passing through the mill, so that the backing rolls will be rotated continuously and no slippage will occur between the rolls as the stock enters the mill. Various arrangements-have been proposed heretofore for this purpose, but these prior constructions have been complicated and expensive, and they have frequently rendered it difiicult to change the rolls.

It is accordingly one object of the invention to 25 provide a simple and inexpensive construction for maintaining contact between the work rolls and the backing rolls in a four-high mill.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a simple and inexpensive construction which will a maintain the desired separation of the work rolls in a four-high mill without interfering with the withdrawal and insertion of these roll-s.

With these and other objects in view, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the invention resides in the combination of parts set forth Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a four-high mill embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of a portion of Fig. 1', certain parts being broken away for clearness of illustration;

Fig. 3 is a side view of one of the bearings for the upper work roll; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail showing portions of two work roll bearings.

The embodiment illustrated'comprises an upright housing consisting of two spaced side portions l (only one being shown), each having the usual window II. Mounted within the window are bearing chocks l4 and I5 for upper and lower horizontal backing rolls l6 and H respectively,

these chocks being releasably held against endwise movement in the housing by suitable clamps IS. The usual vertical screws 20 (Fig. 1) are mounted in the housing above the upper chocks i l to provide for adjustment of the pass between the working rolls; these screws, as usual, receive and resist the upward pressure caused by the rolling operation. In order to facilitate removal and insertion of the upper backing roll l6 and to support its weight when no stock is passing through the mill, the upper chock M is provided with two flanges 2i which project laterally from opposite sides and engage a pair of horizontal rails 23 arranged parallel to the axis of the roll. The rails 23 are urged upwardly by means of hydraulic motors 2t mounted on the face of the housing l0 and connected to the ends of the rails by links 25. The construction of the rails 23 and associated parts is more fully described and. claimed in my prior application Serial No. 66,273, filed February 28, 1936.

Upper and lower work rolls 2! and 28, respectively, are mounted between the backing rolls l6 and I1, the work rolls being supported in upper and lower bearings 29 and 30, respectively. The

upper bearing 29 is located between spaced pro-.

jections 32 which extend downwardly from the sides of the upper chock M, and the lower bearing is located between spaced projections 33 which extend upwardly from the sides of the lower chock l5. Provision is preferably made for maintainv ing the alignment of the work rolls with the backing rolls in accordance with the teaching of the prior application of Frank'P. Dahlstrom, Serial No. 585,922, filed January 11, 1932,. For this purpose, adjustable members 36 having similarly obliqued surfaces are mounted against the inner surfaces of the projections 32 and 33, and plates are fastened to the sides of the work roll bearings 29 and 3B. These plates 35 are formed with cylindrical outer surfaces which engage the inner oblique surfaces of the members 34, the parts being so constructed and arranged that if a work roll is slightly out of parallelism with its backing roll, the resultant screwing action will move the work roll axially, and the oblique surfaces of the members 34 will cause the roll bearing to move laterally and restore correct alignment, all as described in the aforesaid Dahlstrom application. It will, of course, be understood that the construction shown in Fig. l will be substantially duplicated for the other housing portion II] at are idlers which support the work rolls against the rolling pressure. Itis important to maintain a firm driving contact between each work roll and its backing roll when no stock is passing 5 through the mill, for if a work roll should'slip on its backing roll, a longitudinal groove would soon be worn in the latter. In order to maintain this driving contact, vI provide suitable fluid-- pressure actuated mechanism which is associated with the checks of one of the backing rolls, this mechanism acting through suitable levers to force the work roll bearings apart. In the preferred construction illustrated, the upward projections 33 on the lower backing roll chocks I5 are provided with vertical bores or cylinders 31, in which are located slidable plungers or pistons 38 having upwardly extending stems 39. Pipes 40 connect with the lower ends of the cylinders 31 to deliver fluid under pressure to the cylinders and to exhaust fluid therefrom. The upper ends of the stems 39 engage the outer ends of horizontal levers 42, each lever being secured intermediate its length to a transverse horizontal pin 43 parallel to the roll axes and forming a fulcrum. Each lever 42 is mounted between a pair of spaced ears 44 projecting laterally from the lower portion of the upper work roll bearing 29, the pin 43 being rotatably supported by these ears. The inner ends of the levers engage small hardened blocks 46 inserted in the top of the lower work roll bearing. It will be apparent that the fluid pressure in the cylinders 31 will force the plungers 38 and the outer ends of the levers 42 upwardly, causing an upward pressure on the upper bearing 29 and a downward pressure on the lower bearing 30. The arms of the levers 42 are preterably so proportioned that for a predetermined fluid-pressure in the cylinders 31, the actual pressure between one work roll and its backing roll will be substantially the same as that between the other work roll and its backing roll, due allowance being made for the weight of the work rolls and their bearings.

Provision is made to avoid interference between 45 the levers 42 and the lower work roll bearings 30 when changing the upper work roll. For this purpose, the upper work roll bearings 29 are formed with recesses 48 (Fig. 2) in their lower surfaces, these recesses being positioned toreceive the inner ends of the levers 42 when the plungers 38 are lowered. Coiled tension springs 49 connect the bearings 29 with radially projecting studs 50 oh the pins 43, these springs tending to swing the inner ends of the levers into the recesses 48, thus preventing engagement 0! the levers with the lower work roll bearings during endwisewithdrawal or replacement ofthe upper work roll.

It will now be apparent that before, the'mill is started fluid will be admitted under pressure into the cylinders 31, lifting the plungers 38 and forcing the work roll bearings 29 and 30 apart by means of the levers 42. stantial pressure between each work roll and its 5 backing roll, and when the work rolls are rotated,

the backing rolls will also rotate without any danger or slippage. When it becomes necessary to change the work rolls, the pressure will be relieved from the-cylinders 31, lowering the plungers 70 38. The springs 49 will then swing the levers 42 into the recesses 48, and after one wedge 34 has been removed at each end of the upper work roll 21, this roll and its bearings can be withdrawn in 'an endwise direction. The lower work roll can 75 then be withdrawn in a similar manner. It will This will provide a subbe noted that in changing work rolls no piping need be dsconnected. Theconstruction is simple, compact and inexpensive.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A rolling mill comprising a pair of work rolls, bearings for the work rolls, a pair of backing rolls, bearings for the backing rolls, one of the backing roll bearings being bored to form a cylinder, a plunger slidable in the cylinder, and a lever actuated by the plunger and operating on both the work roll bearings to force the latter apart.

2. A rolling mill comprising a pair of work rolls, bearings for the work rolls, a pair of backing rolls; bearings for the backing rolls, one of the backing roll bearings ,being bored to form a pair of cylinders, a plunger slidable in each cylinder, and a pair of levers actuated by the plungers and operating on both the work roll bearingsto force the latter apart. L

3. A rolling mill comprising a pair of work rolls, bearings for the work rolls, a pair of backing rolls, bearings for the backing rolls, one of the backing roll bearings having two spaced projections located on opposite sides of the adjacent work roll bearing, each of said projections being bored to form a cylinder, a plunger slidable in each cylindet, and a pair of levers actuated by the plungers and operating on both the work roll bearingsto force the latter apart.

4. A rolling mill comprising a pair of parallel work rolls, bearings for the work rolls, a pair of backing rolls parallel to the work rolls, bearings for the backing rolls, one of the backing roll bearings being bored to form a pair of cylinders, a plunger slidable in each cylinder, and a pair of levers fulcrumed about axes parallel to the roll axes, the levers being actuated by the plungers and operating on both the work roll bearings to force the latter apart.

5. A rolling mill comprising a pair of parallel work rolls, bearings for the work rolls, a pair 01 backingrolls parallel to the work rolls, bearings for the backing rolls, one or the backing roll bearings being bored to form a pair of cylinders, a plunger slidable in each cylinder, and a pair of levers fulcrumed on one of the work roll bearings about axes substantially parallel to the roll axes, one end of each lever engaging the other work roll bearing, and the other ends of the levers being actuated by the plungers.

6. A rolling mill comprising a pair of parallel work rolls, bearings for the work rolls, a pair of backing rolls parallel to the work rolls, bearings for the backing rolls, one of the backing roll bearings being bored to form a pair of cylinders, a plunger slidable in each cylinder, and a pair of levers iulcrumed on one of the work roll bearings about axes substantially parallel to the roll axes, the inner end of each lever engaging the other work roll bearing, and the outer ends of the levers being actuated by the plungers.

'7. A rolling mill comprising a pair of parallel work rolls, bearings for the work rolls, a pair of backing rolls parallel to the work rolls, bearings for the backing rolls, one of the backing roll bearings being bored to form a pair of cylinders, 11 plunger slidable in each cylinder, pairs of spaced ears extending from opposite sides of one ofthe work roll bearings, and a lever mounted between each pair of ears and fulcrumedon said ears about an axis substantially parallel to the roll axes, the inner end of each lever engaging aooaeoa the other work roll bearing, and the other ends of the levers being actuated by the plungers.

8. A rolling mill comprising upper and lower horizontal work rolls, bearings for the work rolls, upper and lower horizontal backing rolls, bearlugs for the backing rolls, the lower backing roll bearing being bored to form a pair of vertical cylinders, a plunger slidable in each cylinder, and a pair of levers fulcrumed on the upper work roll bearing about axes substantially parallel to the roll axis, one end of each lever engaging the lower work roll bearing, and the other ends of the levers being actuated by the plungers.

9. A rolling mill comprising upper and lower horizontal work rolls, bearings for the work rolls, upper and lower horizontal backing rolls, bearings for the backing rolls, the lower backing roll bearing being bored to form a pair of vertical cylinders, a plunger slidable in each cylinder, 2. pair of levers fulcrumed on the upper work roll hearing about axes parallel to the roll axis, the inner end of each lever engaging the lower work roll bearing and the outer ends of the levers being actuated by the plungers, the upper work roll bearing having recesses adapted to receive the inner ends of the levers, and means tending to turn the levers about their fulcrums 'in opposition to the plungers, said means serving to swing the inner ends of the levers upwardly into the recesses when the plungers are lowered.

MYLES. MORGAN. 

